Our Effectiveness

Knowing God’s purpose for your life is one of the best things you could ever find out. Further to that, living a life that fulfills God’s purpose is even better. Everybody in the body of Christ has the call of God upon their life. Unfortunately we often reserve this “call” just for the ministry. But God has called all of us “into the kingdom for such a time as this”. God has a unique plan and purpose for our life. When we are filled with his Spirit, we have everything we need to see God do great things through our life!

I have met a lot of people with tremendous potential. I have met people who are fulfilling their potential and I have met those who are yet to fulfil their potential. Sadly, I’ve been around long enough to have seen people who once had great potential. The ditches on the sides of the road of life are full of people with potential. It is my passion to see young people realising their God-ordained potential.

I don’t care how much potential that you’ve got, because potential alone is not enough. It is about realising our potential, it is about our potential becoming an actuality.

Jesus paid the price for our salvation – we will pay the price for our effectiveness. There are a lot of people “speaking in tongues” – but not effective, not living in the realm of their God-ordained potential. There are a lot of people that “mean well” – but they aren’t effective. The parable about the man who buried his talent is a case in point – he “meant well” – but he wasn’t effective.

We need some people to step up. We need young people to step up and show the world that Jesus can make a major difference in our life – but not just that! We need young people to step up and show the world that Jesus can make a major difference through our life. God did not make a mistake when he matched us with this day!

This may shock some people, but we must realise that we are either helping people get to heaven, or we are helping them go to hell. We must come to grips with this – this is the bottom line. There is no neutral. The worst advertisement for Christianity is a lukewarm Christian. When a non-Christian sees a lukewarm Christian they cannot help but see that it is a boring life. Sitting on the fence offers nothing except splinters!

So we have two choices – it’s easy!
Live for Jesus – an abundant life and an eternity in heaven.
Live for Satan – enjoy the pleasures of this world for a season (there is pleasure out there – but just for a season).

I’m not going to pretend that people aren’t having fun out there. They are! But in the end, they will not be happy. The “fun” is short lived – it is just for a season. When the season is over, the song by U2 rings true – “I still haven’t found what I’m looking for!”

I want to emphasise again that there is no such thing as redemptive neutral – being in this world and effecting no-one. We are all effecting someone – it just depend on what way we are effecting them. We must stop and do a self assessment of our life. We need to take time to examine ourselves. We need to take the Bible and do a diagnosis on our Christian walk and our effectiveness. If your truly connected to the vine there will be fruit – fruit of the Spirit. Secondly, picture yourself laying at the front of the church in a wooden box!

It may sound a bit morbid, but start by writing your eulogy. Put yourself in the box and ask yourself – “What is the preacher going to be able to say with integrity!” We must live it not so that they can say it then!

That’s my five minutes!

National Day of Prayer and Fasting: 27 March 2009

REGISTER AT http://www.aym.org.au/natprayer.htm

OUR GOAL: At least 500 people praying for the youth of Australia on 27 March 2009.Friday 27 March 2009 - ALL DAY

1. Pray for a mighty move of God amongst the youth of Australia in 2009.

2. Pray the youth ministry of your church, your youth leader and pastor.

3. Pray that God will use you to reach out to at least one lost person in 2009.

4. Pray for the National Youth Camp over the Easter Long Weekend 2009.

2 Chronicles 7:14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

God goes before us!

Exodus 15:23-27
[23] And when they came to Marah, they could not drink of the waters of Marah, for they were bitter: therefore the name of it was called Marah.
[24] And the people murmured against Moses, saying, What shall we drink?"
[25] And he cried unto the LORD; and the LORD shewed him a tree, which when he had cast into the waters, the waters were made sweet: there he made for them a statute and an ordinance, and there he proved them,

The newly liberated nation of Israel was on its way from Egypt to the Promised Land of Canaan but it was proving to be a difficult journey. The young nation of Israel began their journey in great spirits. Their archenemy, Pharaoh, was defeated, and his army was drowned in the Red Sea. The Israelites were rejoicing and praising God!

But we see Israel move very quickly from the celebration of triumph to the bitterness of disappointment. They quickly found themselves in the wilderness of “Shur”. The word Shur means “wall”. After the triumph, Israel hit the wall. Anyone ever had that feeling? They were in the desert and they had no water. No one could survive long without water in that hot climate, especially in a desert.

Had God suddenly abandoned them? One of God’s rules for the spiritual life is that testing comes before resting! Only three days journey from the point where they had crossed the Red Sea, the people encountered their first difficulty of a water shortage in the midst of a desert.

Let me divert here and encourage you in these days of economic uncertainty. When looking ahead makes you fearful, look back and remember. Uncertainty has a way of focusing us exclusively on the mystery of what lies before us that we forget what lies behind. If you have been a Christian for any length of time, God’s faithfulness to us in the past should shape our assurance and perspective about the future.

So the Israelites find themselves without water. Amazingly enough, three days of waterless wandering had created a great dilemma for them.

Then, off in the distance they see some water. There is no way to hold back the three million Israelites from stampeding the water. They run to the water, some half stumbling and sprawling into the water – only to find that the water was bitter and undrinkable.

Exodus 15:23
[23] And when they came to Marah, they could not drink of the waters of Marah, for they were bitter: therefore the name of it was called Marah.

Marah brought great disappointment.

Everyone has their “Marahs”. Just when you thought you were coming out of the wilderness, just when you thought you were going to be refreshed from your wanderings in the wilderness – you find only bitter waters that are undrinkable.

But God had a remedy for Moses. He told Moses to toss a tree into the water and the act of God created sweetness out of bitterness.

Exodus 15:25
[25] And he cried unto the LORD; and the LORD shewed him a tree, which when he had cast into the waters, the waters were made sweet: there he made for them a statute and an ordinance, and there he proved them,

Trees don’t grow overnight. That tree was planted in advance. Be encouraged - you will face some bitter waters in life – BUT YOUR TREE IS ALREADY PLANTED. God has gone before you making a way!

That’s my five minutes!

Lovers of Pleasures!

2 Timothy 3:1-4
[1] This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.
[2] For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
[3] Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,
[4] Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;
[5] Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.
[6] For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts,
[7] Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.

There is no doubt that we are living in the last days. This can be confirmed but observing the happenings around the world, for there is no doubt that we are living in perilous times. Verses 2 through to 4 outline some of the signs that we can look for. I don’t know about you but I see this on a daily basis. Surely we are living in the end times.

But, it is the phrase “lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God” that caught my attention this week. Now, I have glossed over this scripture many times, missing the real meaning. It doesn’t say that they won’t love God, but the scripture is saying that they will love pleasures more than God. These people will have a love for God, but they will be driven by a desire for self fulfillment. The people the Bible is speaking about here will come to church when their diary is empty, when there is nothing better to do and when they need God to do something so that they can have a more pleasurable life.

These people will look Godly, but will deny the power of God. When it all “boils down”, these people don’t trust God to bring the abundant life that He promised. They will always revert back to their “life of pleasures”. Jesus said, “I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly” (John 10:10). Because they reject the power of God, God cannot do exceeding, abundantly for them (Ephesians 3:20).

As a result of their miss placed priorities, these people are led away with divers lusts. Further more, they are ever learning (coming to church, home friendship groups etc) and never able to come to a knowledge of God!

Let’s make an assessment of our lives. If we want the blessing of God on your life we must have our priorities right!

That's my five minutes!

Jesus Loves You

Luke 19:1-10 gives an account of Jesus passing through Jericho. Jesus went to Jericho for one lost soul. That was the soul of Zaccheus, the chief publican or as we know it today, the chief tax collector. These men were typically men of wealth, hated by the people. They were looked upon with much animosity. Nobody would have been looked upon with more distain that would a tax collector.

Jericho was a fine city with alot of activity. It was an elite town where the prestigious and rich lived. It was the type of place that people liked to frequent for holidays. I don’t find it the least bit surprising that we find Zaccheus the tax collector there.

Nevertheless, Zacchaeus wanted to see Jesus. Though Zaccheus was a renegade in the eyes of the Jews, he was a precious lost sinner in the eyes of Jesus. Jesus didn’t go to Jericho just to enjoy those things that you enjoy in a rich and prestigious city. He didn’t go to Jericho to join in the festivities of the city. He came to Jericho because he was on a mission. He came to see Zaccheus, a low-down tax collector. Out of all of the “more respectable” people in Jericho, Jesus chose the chief tax collector.

Jesus went to Jericho for Zaccheus. Jesus loves you, He went all the way to Calvary, and when He was on the cross, you were on His mind. He doesn’t love you just because you attend church. He loves you because He loves you! God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinner, Christ died for you and me (Romans 5:8).

With Jesus, it doesn’t matter what you have done, but it matters what you will do. With Jesus, it doesn’t matter what you have been, but what you will become.

If we will just make an effort to come back to Jesus, He will be there for us. Just as in the parable of the prodigal son. When the father saw his son coming down the road in the distance, the Bible says he ran to him and kissed him. The father could have made his rebellious son “serve his time”, but we read that the son experienced unconditional love. When you come back to the father’s house, you’ll experience unconditional acceptance and unconditional love.

It doesn’t matter what you’ve done, where you’ve been or what skeletons you have in your closet, Jesus loves you and He waits to be gracious to you (Isaiah 30:18). JESUS LOVES YOU!

Power of Choice - Victor Frankl

Man’s Search for Meaning by Victor Frankl.

Frankl was a Holocaust survivor who wrote about his experiences in a Nazi concentration camp.

• Everything was taken away from these prisoners.


• They were stripped of their clothing, their pictures, and their personal belongings.


• They even took away their names and gave them numbers.


• Frankl was number 119,104.

Everything was taken away except one thing. Frankl said, “Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances.”

I’m absolutely convinced that the most important choice you make everyday is your attitude.

Great Quote on Choices

The words of Eleanor Roosevelt ring true:

"One’s philosophy is not best expressed in words. it is expressed in the choices one makes. In the long run, we shape our lives and we shape ourselves. The process never ends until we die. and the choices we make are ultimately our responsibility".

That's five minutes from Eleanor!

The Power of Choice

Choice is a very powerful thing. We all like being able to make choices – in fact choice is an integral part of freedom. Can you imagine what it would be like to live your life without the ability to make a choice? Even worse – imagine not being able to have a choice as to your life partner!

At the outset of this post, let me say that the course of our life (whether good or bad) is not determined by the circumstances that we confront in life, but by the choices that we make in those circumstances.

I have seen people presented with some of the worst circumstances that life has to offer. Some people choose to maintain a good attitude, striving to overcome their circumstances. On the other hand, others accept their circumstances as their “lot in life”, eventually finding themselves imprisoned by their circumstances. It is important to realise that we cannot choose our circumstances, but we can choose the attitude that we maintain in our circumstance. Ultimately, we are not victims of the situations that life puts us in, we are victims of the choices that we make within those situations. Understanding and accepting this fact is vital to living a full life!

Let’s be truthful now – usually we prefer to believe that it is anything other than our own choices that put us where we are. I think people are too quick to fall into a victim mentality! I think “victimhood” (if that is actually a word) is a chronic disease in our society. Many people these days are too lazy and irresponsible to even understand that they have a choice. People are constantly searching for someone to blame for their circumstances they find themselves in when often they are in that position because of the choices that they made!

Galatians 6:7 says “Be not deceived; god is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap”. Sounds like choices to me!

For all of my life, it has been made perfectly clear that smoking damages your health, most likely resulting in an early death. Has anyone seen the pictures on the cigarette packages lately…yuck! Yet today, lawyers are getting rich by suing cigarette companies on behalf of men and women who have suffered because of smoking. Sure the tobacco companies have created an addictive product, but everyone who chooses to smoke today, knows that. Lawyers are called in to “rescue” these people from their situation which is really a result of their choice. You see, there is a consequence to our choices - life or death, success or failure, the choice is yours.

In planting weeds of irresponsibility, how can be hope to harvest an abundant crop of excellence and success! The choices we make will determine our harvest. Many Christians unfortunately sow one thing and then get a harvest they don’t like – so they ask God (like the lawyer) to change the harvest. It is a simple concept – what you sow, you will reap.
Now we must remember that God is gracious, forgiving us for the sins we have committed in ignorance. The Bible says, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17). When we are Born Again, God forgives us of our sins. But, He also tells us that we are planting the seeds today that produce tomorrow's harvest. His call to us is that we would understand the power of choice.

Acknowledging that we make the choices helps us to be more aware of the choices available to us in the future. It helps us to stand back when things seem bleak and see other options and other ways. If we feel like victims, we react without assessing our possibilities. If there is a turn – we miss it because we are not looking. The power of choice!

That's my five minutes!